Is Philadelphia More Exciting Now than in 1776?

Your correspondent is as his tagline indicates a fan of Philadelphia sports and this is quite the year for Philadelphia fandom. First the Eagles, which no one saw coming and which, as was the case with the Phillies’ championship in 2008, has tempted city sports’ fans to think about repeat Superbowl rings. One thing Philadelphians don’t seem to have mastered is a sense of history and that championships are rare. That means they should be savored and should not be used to conjure up grandiose notions of dynasties. Please.

But then there is Villanova, not a professional sports franchise, of course, and a bit toney for the city’s working class self-conception. Villanova is technically not in the city limits but is located on the so-called Main Line — the train route between Philadelphia and (wait for it) Lancaster. The Main Line also boasts such other upper middle class enclaves as Wayne, Malvern, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford. How the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants who dominated the suburban corridor ever let Roman Catholics in is another matter. Even so, the city is taking great pride in Villanova University’s men’s basketball team’s performance in this year’s NCAA tournament (a repeat of their championship in 2016).

And so, when Philadelphia gets a winner — they are so rare — city residents and neighbors get a parade. Which also means that owners of condominiums (like me) get notices from the condo association like this:

RE: Villanova Victory Parade Route

Dear Darryl Hart:

THIS IS A MASS COMMUNICATION INTENDED FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF THE ARTS CONDOMINIUM.

What an exciting time to be living in Center City!

Philadelphia has the privilege of hosting yet another hometown championship parade for the 2018 NCAA Champions, the Villanova Wildcats! The parade will be held on Thursday, April 5th. There will be local road closures during the parade, but none immediately effecting access/egress at The Arts. To follow is information concerning the parade time and route:

“Parade elements will assemble on 2000-2900 Market Street beginning at 9:30AM. The parade will commence at 11:00AM.

The parade will start at 20th & Market Streets and proceed eastbound on Market Street to 15th Street, southbound on 15th Street to South Penn Square, eastbound on South Penn Square, terminating on South Penn Square west of Broad Street.

The rally portion of the event will commence at 11:45AM, and the event is scheduled to conclude at 12:30PM.”

If you are able to stroll over to see the parade during your lunch break, the sun should be shining, but you will need to pack your Villanova (or Eagles!) outerwear since temps will still be on the cool side.

Have a great day!

Were Philadelphians this excited about the Declaration of Independence? Have D-1 and professional sports become Americans’ equivalent of bread and circuses (the alleged policy of ancient Rome to keep the people “fat, happy, and stupid”)?

Or could it be that sports have much more capacity to nurture allegiance than the politics of a colossal nation-state? I myself am no more willing to die for the Eagles or for the Wildcats than I am for U.S. military interventions for the sake of keeping peace. But it could be that sports championships are more exciting than national politics because the former feel much more local and accessible than the latter.

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